"This Hundred Dynasties War truly has brought forth a wealth of geniuses."
Ying Xuanzi stroked his beard, a hint of feeling in his voice.
"The leading figures of those super dynasties all have extraordinary foundations."
"Even the younger generation of some ancient families in the Eastern Xuan Region are showing their sharp edges."
"Take Lin Langtian of the Lin Clan, for instance."
"That young man has unparalleled talent. They say an elder of the Yuan Sect has already taken an interest in him. He's riding high."
Hearing Ying Xuanzi mention Lin Langtian, Gu Yuan merely smiled noncommittally.
He tapped his fingers lightly against the stone table and spoke in a measured tone.
"Lin Langtian?"
"Sect Master Ying, sometimes true dragons lie hidden in the shallows."
"Those who rise against the current despite their humble origins are the ones worthy of being called truly peerless prodigies."
"I think this time, some nameless nobody from a low-tier dynasty might just overturn the entire Eastern Xuan Region's balance of power."
Hearing those deeply meaningful words from Gu Yuan,
Ying Xuanzi could not help freezing for a moment.
A nameless nobody from a low-tier dynasty? Overturn the balance of power?
Had anyone else said that, Ying Xuanzi would have scoffed.
What genius could possibly emerge from somewhere as barren as a low-tier dynasty?
But those words had come from Gu Yuan.
This towering powerhouse who controlled three great Ancestral Talismans possessed vision and powers of deduction far beyond his ability to fathom.
"Since you say so, Brother Gu, it seems this Hundred Dynasties War really will give us a good show."
Ying Xuanzi nodded, silently committing those words to memory.
Meanwhile,
elsewhere, on the Douluo Continent.
Three days had flown by amid something close to torment and panic.
The atmosphere across the entire continent had become unbearably oppressive.
As the second selection drew near,
whether they were lofty Titled Douluos or ordinary people in the streets and alleys,
everyone set aside everything they were doing and stared fixedly at the enormous screen of light in the sky.
On Shrek Academy's training grounds.
Dai Mubai stood with his arms folded. Although cold sweat had already seeped into his palms, he still forced an arrogant expression onto his face.
"Grandmaster, I've memorized all those theories about surviving in another world that you taught us these past three days."
"As long as I don't go provoking those great clans or challenging those cart-pulling demonic beasts,"
"with the fighting strength of my Evil-Eyed White Tiger, I'll definitely thrive in some small frontier town."
"If the sky screen picks me this time, I'll definitely make Shrek proud!"
Hearing Dai Mubai's words, Yu Xiaogang nodded in satisfaction.
With his hands behind his back, he once again assumed the bearing of a wise man.
"Good. Mubai, it's truly commendable that you can maintain such confidence."
"Remember, although the people of that world possess strange powers, they must have weaknesses too."
"As long as you're selected, surviving a year will be no problem with the tactics I've devised."
Beside him, Tang San silently touched Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges at his waist.
For the past three days, he had worked day and night, coating all his deadliest hidden weapons with potent poison.
No matter how powerful that world's experts are, they'll still die once my poison gets into them.
Tang San gave a cold snort inwardly.
Spirit Hall, the Pope's Palace.
Bibi Dong sat upright on her throne, regarding Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo below with icy eyes.
"The sky screen is about to begin its second selection."
"If either of you is selected, remember to put away the arrogance you carry on the Douluo Continent."
"The waters of that world run deep. Preserve your lives first, learn the lay of the land, and only then make your plans."
"Yes! Your Holiness!"
The two Titled Douluos hurriedly lowered their heads in acknowledgment.
Although they stood at the very pinnacle of the Douluo Continent, after witnessing the images on the sky screen, they dared not be careless in the slightest.
Deep within the Star Dou Great Forest.
The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python also looked up, their enormous eyes filled with wariness.
"Big Brother, that little wolf died such a miserable death last time."
The Titan Giant Ape thumped his chest, his voice deep and muffled.
"If I'm picked this time, I'll show those people what a real hundred-thousand-year soul beast is!"
Bzz!
Just then,
accompanied by a roar that shook heaven and earth,
the dim golden light on the sky screen suddenly erupted like a blazing sun.
The hearts of countless living beings clenched violently.
It was here!
That majestic, icy voice thundered once more inside everyone's mind.
[The three-day rest period has ended.] [Random selection of the second group of explorers is underway...]
Countless golden characters once again scrolled wildly across the screen.
Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the scrolling screen.
A few seconds later,
the golden light abruptly froze!
Several distinct names slowly appeared in the center of the screen.
[The second group of explorers is as follows:] [1. Shrek Academy, level 41 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor, Dai Mubai.] [2. Spirit Hall, level 95 Agility Attack System Titled Douluo, Gui Mei.] [3. Heaven Dou Empire, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect Master, level 79 Soul Saint, Ning Fengzhi.] [4. Star Dou Great Forest, hundred-thousand-year soul beast, Titan Giant Ape.]
When those names at the very top of the list came clearly into view,
the entire Douluo Continent instantly erupted into an uproar!
This group's lineup could only be described as spectacular!
It included not only the master of one of the Upper Three Sects, but also a legendary hundred-thousand-year soul beast, and even a level 95 Titled Douluo!
At that very moment, on Shrek Academy's training grounds,
Dai Mubai, who had just been spouting boasts about sweeping through the other world, stared at the name at the top of the list.
He froze on the spot.
"Gulp."
He swallowed with difficulty, his legs trembling involuntarily.
Although he had just been boasting loudly enough to shake the heavens,
when that name, like a death warrant, actually landed on his head, panic still flooded his heart.
"Boss Dai, you really got picked!"
Ma Hongjun beside him failed to notice his unease and excitedly clapped him on the shoulder instead.
"This is great! Now Boss Dai can represent us Shrek Seven Devils and really show his face before the whole continent!"
Hearing that, Dai Mubai found himself riding a tiger he could no longer dismount.
He forced out a cold smile and thumped his chest.
"Of course!"
"It's just some other world. Watch how I trample them all underfoot once I get there!"
Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang also stepped forward and patted Dai Mubai's shoulder.
"Mubai, remember the rules of survival I taught you."
"Once you're there, lie low and build your strength. Don't clash head-on with experts, and strike hard when you encounter the weak."
"With your White Tiger Martial Soul, protecting yourself will be no problem as long as you don't encounter those freaks."
Dai Mubai nodded repeatedly, as though he had regained some confidence.
[Teleportation countdown complete. The second group of explorers is in position.] [Now opening first-person view: Shrek Academy, Dai Mubai.]
As ripples spread across the sky screen,
Dai Mubai vanished from the training grounds in an instant.
Immediately afterward, the image on the screen gradually became clear.
It revealed a beautiful mountain sanctuary wreathed in an ethereal aura.
The air brimmed with extraordinarily dense Heaven and Earth Yuan Power.
The moment Dai Mubai landed, he felt as though a mountain were pressing down on him, nearly sending him sprawling face-first into the ground.
But he gritted his teeth and forcibly withstood the pressure.
"Phew... such heavy gravity."
"But with such a nice environment, this definitely can't be anywhere dangerous."
Dai Mubai surveyed his surroundings, his taut nerves relaxing slightly.
Just then,
the clear, melodious notes of a zither suddenly drifted over from a nearby peach blossom grove.
Something stirred within Dai Mubai, and he quietly parted the bushes to look.
Beneath peach blossoms dancing through the air, on an enormous blue-green rock,
sat a girl dressed in a pale green gown.
She looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, with delicate, lively features and her hair tied in a ponytail, radiating youthful vitality.
At that moment, an emerald-like Guqin rested on her lap, her slender fingers casually plucking its strings.
The instant he saw the girl,
a fierce green gleam flared in Dai Mubai's evil eyes.
Back on the Douluo Continent, he had always been a playboy, relying on his status to ruin goodness knew how many pairs of twins.
Now, faced with such a fresh, lovely girl, he could no longer suppress the lust in his bones.
"What a gorgeous chick!"
"And judging by her age, with not even a decent trace of soul power coming from her, she's probably just an ordinary commoner from this world."
Dai Mubai licked his lips, a lewd, sinister smile curling at their corners.
"I've only just arrived, and I was worrying about finding someone to guide me."
"I'll grab a local girl for some fun first, and let off some of the frustration I've swallowed these past few days while I'm at it!"
At that thought, Dai Mubai could hold himself back no longer.
He swaggered out of the bushes and stepped directly into the girl's path.
On the Douluo Continent.
Watching Dai Mubai's actions on the screen, quite a few soul masters frowned.
Inside Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang's expression shifted slightly too.
"What is Mubai doing?"
"Didn't I tell him not to create unnecessary complications?"
Ma Hongjun merely chuckled and said carelessly, "Don't worry, Grandmaster. Boss Dai's just falling back into his old habits."
"One look tells you that girl is an ordinary person with no cultivation."
"Boss Dai can relax a little with her and ask for information while he's at it. That's called strategic deterrence."
On the screen.
The green-dressed girl had clearly sensed a stranger's presence as well and stopped plucking the strings.
She raised her head, her large, bright eyes studying Dai Mubai with some confusion.
This girl was none other than Ying Huanhuan, the little princess of the Dao Sect Heavenly Hall!
As the pearl in the palm of Dao Sect Master Ying Xuanzi, she had merely come to the mountain behind the sect on a whim that day to practice her Guqin.
She had never expected a strangely dressed fellow with a shifty gaze to come crawling out.
"Which hall are you a disciple of?"
"Why have you come to the back mountain?"
Ying Huanhuan knitted her delicate brows, a trace of wariness in her voice.
Looking at Ying Huanhuan's adorably indignant expression, Dai Mubai felt as though a cat's claws were scratching at his heart.
"Hehe, little beauty, this young master fell from the sky."
"Our meeting must be fate. You look pretty bored playing the Guqin here alone. Why not come into the woods and have some proper fun with this young master?"
As he spoke, Dai Mubai made no attempt to hide the lust in his eyes.
He strode forward, reaching his large, groping hands straight toward Ying Huanhuan's slender waist and full breasts.
He actually intended to forcibly molest her right here in the wilderness!
At the sight of Dai Mubai's lewd actions.
Ying Huanhuan froze for a moment, then a layer of frost instantly shrouded her pretty little face.
Who in the Dao Sect did not know that she, Ying Huanhuan, was Heaven Hall's Little Demoness?
Normally, even those core senior brothers dared not say a single frivolous word to her.
Yet today, some brat who had appeared from who knew where actually dared to put his hands on her!
"Where did you crawl out from, you lecher? You're courting death!"
With that, Ying Huanhuan gave a sharp cry, a trace of killing intent flashing through her eyes.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai was still immersed in his fantasy of getting his hands on her.
To prevent the girl from resisting, he even directly activated the Soul Power within his body.
"White Tiger, possess me!"
Accompanied by a tiger's roar, four Soul Rings-two yellow and two purple-rose from beneath his feet.
Dai Mubai's muscles swelled, and his tiger claws lunged straight at Ying Huanhuan, trailing a rank wind.
"Get over here, this young master commands it!"
Just as everyone across the Douluo Continent thought this girl from another world was about to suffer his vicious assault.
On the screen, Ying Huanhuan did not even dodge.
She merely sneered, then swept her slender, fair hand hard across the Guqin on her lap.
"Twang!"
In an instant, a sonic boom exploded through the air.
Immediately afterward, a visible wave of ice-blue Yuan Power roared out from the Guqin.
Crack!
Wherever that sound wave passed, even the air froze into shards of ice.
Even though Ying Huanhuan had yet to fully awaken, this power was absolutely beyond what a mere Soul Ancestor could withstand!
"What?!"
Feeling the cold rushing toward him, Dai Mubai's lecherous grin instantly froze on his face.
Boom!
The sound wave slammed into Dai Mubai's chest without the slightest resistance.
"Aah!!!"
For a moment, Dai Mubai's agonized screams rang throughout the entire Peach Blossom Forest.
As for Dai Mubai himself, he was sent flying backward.
He flew dozens of meters, snapping more than a dozen thick peach trees along the way before finally crashing into the dirt like a dead dog.
And those lecherous hands of his, which had been about to molest Ying Huanhuan, were now frozen into ice sculptures.
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.
Watching Dai Mubai on the sky screen, who had been harassing a girl one second and was taken out in a single blow the next, everyone's brains completely short-circuited.
Especially those at Shrek Academy.
The sleazy smile on Ma Hongjun's face was still frozen at the corners of his mouth, and he looked as though he had been struck by lightning.
Yu Xiaogang's legs went weak, and he dropped straight to his knees with a "thud."
"How could this happen..."
"How could that little girl, who looked completely harmless, unleash such terrifying power?!"
He had calculated every possibility, yet never accounted for this.
In this Martial Universe, even a teenage girl playing the Guqin on the back mountain.
Actually possessed the terrifying strength to take out a level forty-one Soul Ancestor in a single blow!
Before you continue